Maintenance shuttle for an electric overhead conveyor

ABSTRACT

A maintenance shuttle of modular design for an electric overhead conveyor with a rail system, with a running gear module as well as a maintenance basket module, wherein the running gear module and the maintenance basket module are designed in such a way that the running gear module can be mounted into the rail system of the electric overhead conveyor, the maintenance basket module can be coupled to and decoupled from the running gear module and, in the coupled state, provides protection against falling for an operator, and that the running gear module and the maintenance basket module can be assembled and disassembled at the operating site by an operator by means of manually lockable and releasable bolts.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to, and the filing benefit of, German Patent Application No. DE 10 2021 110 649.4 filed Apr. 26, 2021, the contents of which is fully incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a maintenance shuttle of modular design for an electric overhead conveyor with a rail system.

2. Description of the State of the Art

Overhead conveyor systems have been known in the state of the art for a long time, and often serve for the transport of workpieces, such as, for example, wheels, body parts or similar in production facilities. The associated rail system of such an electric overhead conveyor can reach considerable lengths—for example, several kilometers—and can be partly located in areas which can only be reached via the electric overhead conveyor itself. Now, in order to carry out maintenance in these areas of the rail system, it is necessary to transport an operator and maintenance person to the corresponding locations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a possibility for transporting an operator and/or a maintenance person for areas of a rail system of an electric overhead conveyor, which are difficult to access, which is especially easy to handle.

This object may be solved according to the invention by providing a maintenance shuttle described herein.

The maintenance shuttle according to the invention for an electric overhead conveyor with a rail system is of modular design, and has a running gear module and a maintenance basket module. The running gear module and the maintenance basket module are designed in such a way that the running gear module can be mounted into the rail system of the electric overhead conveyor, the maintenance basket module can be coupled to and decoupled from the running gear module and, in the coupled state, provides protection against falling for an operator, and that the running gear module and the maintenance basket module can be assembled and disassembled at the operating site by an operator by means of manually lockable and releasable bolts.

According to the invention, it is thus possible to separate the maintenance shuttle into at least two parts—a running gear module and a maintenance basket module—and to join them together. The separation and assembly as well as the mounting of the running gear module into the rail system can be carried out by a single operator. This means that the transport and carrying out of the maintenance can be made by a single operator by means of the maintenance shuttle of modular design.

In addition, a mountable ladder can be provided for the maintenance shuttle.

In a preferred embodiment, the running gear module has at least two rollers, and at least two guide rollers for each roller. For the installation of the maintenance shuttle on the rail system, one of the two guide rollers each is designed in such a manner that it can be unlocked and swiveled out and/or swiveled in and locked. Due to the unlocking and/or swiveling out, the distance of the two guide rollers increases, and the roller can be attached to the rail system. Due to the swiveling in and/or locking it is ensured that the respective roller does not become detached from the rail system. Preferably, the maintenance basket module can be coupled to the running gear module in such a way that a mounting height of the maintenance basket module, which is depending on the size of the operator, can be achieved relative to the running gear module. Thus, the maintenance shuttle module can be adapted to the body size of different operators without it being necessary to provide a separate device for this purpose.

Preferably, the maintenance shuttle has a locking pin/cotter pin combination for coupling points between the running gear module and the maintenance basket module. It provides a simple and secure possibility of connecting the two modules.

In a preferred embodiment it is provided that at least one of the rollers can be driven manually by means of a crankshaft drive mechanism. It is particularly preferred in this context, if the manual crankshaft drive mechanism can be replaced or assisted by a battery-operated electric screwdriver. In this way, the operator can mount the maintenance shuttle into the rail system of the electric overhead conveyor at a point, and then approach the point of the rail system requiring maintenance by manual operation of the crankshaft drive mechanism, preferably assisted by the battery-operated electric screwdriver.

Other advantages and aspects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description of the drawings and detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings which are showing:

FIG. 1 in a perspective representation a front view and

FIG. 2 a rear view of an embodiment of a maintenance shuttle according to the invention for an electric overhead conveyor;

FIG. 3 a sectional view of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 detailed views of the mounting of the maintenance shuttle of FIGS. 1 and 2 with respect to an open and/or closed position of the guide rollers;

FIG. 6 a detailed view of FIG. 1 with respect to the drive of the maintenance shuttle; and

FIG. 7 a detailed view of FIG. 1 with respect to the drive maintenance shuttle showing a different perspective than FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While the present invention is susceptible to embodiments in many different forms, there is described in detail herein, preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosures are to be considered as exemplifications of the principles of the invention and are not intended to limit the broad aspects of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show in perspective front and/or rear views, and FIG. 3 shows in a schematic sectional view a first embodiment of a maintenance shuttle of modular design 100 for an electric overhead conveyor 10 with a rail system 12.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rail system 12 has holding struts 14 which are holding a support rail 16 at a certain height above the floor. The fixing of the support rails 16 by means of holding struts 14 can be made, for example, directly to the ceiling in the production facility or to a spandrel-braced steel structure. Driven vehicles are running and/or are mounted on the support rail 16, and the corresponding supply and information lines are attached to the same.

The maintenance shuttle 100 is of a modular design, and comprises a running gear module 110, comprising two running gear units 112, 114. In addition, the maintenance shuttle 100 comprises a maintenance basket module 116 as well as a ladder 118.

The maintenance basket module 116 comprises a platform 120 which is designed in such a way that an operator can stand on the same. Extending upward from said platform are two posts 122, 124, each of which, at its end facing away from the platform 120, can be coupled to a running gear unit 112, 114. A railing 126, which is attached to the posts 122, 124, and connected to the platform 120, surrounds the maintenance basket module 116, and limits in horizontal direction the space above the platform 120, in which an operator can be located. The railing 126 has an entry/exit in the form of a recess 128. The ladder 118 can be mounted in this area. It is also intended to secure the entry/exit by means of a door 130.

The posts 122, 124 project beyond the railing 126 by a coupling length 132, and have a series of holes 134 in this coupling region. This is shown in detail in FIG. 7. The holes 134 correspond with holes in the running gear units 112, 114. The running gear units 112, 114 are described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are detailed perspective views of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3 and each show an enlarged section of the running gear unit 112 and/or 114. For the sake of simplicity, the same reference numerals are used for the details of the running gear units 112, 114. The running gear unit 112, like the running gear unit 114, has a support roller 140 as well as four guide rollers, of which two guide rollers 142, 144 can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. The support roller 140 is running on the upper side of the upper flange 18 of the support rail 16, and transfers a part of the load of the maintenance shuttle 100 to the support rail 116. The upper guide roller 142, which can be seen, is stationary, corresponds with a second guide roller 143, which is not shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The upper guide rollers 142, 143 are running on the lateral outer surfaces of the flange 18.

The lower guide roller 144 shown also corresponds with a guide roller 145 (not shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), which is located on the rear side of the support rail 16, and can be pivoted in contrast to the upper guide roller 142. Both lower guide rollers 144, 145 are running on the lateral outer surfaces of the lower leg and/or flange 20 of the support rail.

The axes of the upper guide rollers 142, 143 are oriented perpendicularly to the guide roller 140, and are oriented vertically in operation, while the longitudinal axis of the roller 140 is aligned horizontally during operation.

The pivotable guide roller 144 is attached to one end of a pivoting arm 146. The other end of the pivoting arm 146 is hinged at a joint 148 to a support 150 connecting the upper guide roller 143 and the lower guide roller 145. Thus, the guide roller 144 can be pivoted between a position (closed position), in which it rests against the lower flange 20 (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 5), and a position (open position), in which only the lower guide roller 145 rests on the lower flange 20, and the side opposite the lower guide roller 145 is released (see FIG. 4). In this open or mounting position, it is possible to put the running gear unit 112 onto the support rail 16. By pivoting of the pivoting arm 146 into the closed position, the guide roller 144 is adapted to abut the lower flange 20. In this position, the pivoting arm 146 can be locked by means of a locking bolt.

The underside of the running gear units 112, 114 has a coupling point 152 at their respective lower end. Holes 154 are provided at the coupling point 152 which are horizontal in operation. These correspond with the holes 134 of the coupling projection 132 of the posts 122, 124 of the maintenance basket module 116. As it is shown in FIG. 7, a locking pin 160 can be guided through the holes 154, 134 which can be secured against extraction by means of a cotter pin 162. See FIG. 7.

FIG. 6 shows a detailed view of FIG. 1. The roller 140 of the running gear unit 112, which can be seen here, is freely movable, and can be operated manually. For this purpose, a coupling pin 172 is provided on the axis 170 of the upper roller 140. A hand crank (not shown) or, for example, a battery-operated electric screwdriver 180 can be connected to the coupling pin 172 so that the axis 170 can be set in rotation in this way. In this manner, the entire maintenance shuttle 100 can be moved along the support rail 16.

While in the foregoing there has been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein. While specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the characteristics of the invention and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A maintenance shuttle of modular design for an electric overhead conveyor with a rail system, comprising: a) a running gear module as well as a maintenance basket module, wherein the running gear module and the maintenance basket module are designed in such a way that b) the running gear module can be mounted into the rail system of the electric overhead conveyor, c) the maintenance basket module can be coupled to and decoupled from the running gear module, and in the coupled state provides protection against falling for an operator, and that d) the running gear module and the maintenance basket module can be assembled and disassembled at the operating site by an operator by means of manually lockable and releasable bolts.
 2. The maintenance shuttle according to patent claim 1, wherein the running gear module comprises at least two rollers and two guide rollers for each roller, wherein, for the installation of the maintenance shuttle on the rail system, one of the guide rollers each is designed in such a manner that it can be unlocked and swiveled out and/or swiveled in and locked.
 3. The maintenance shuttle according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance basket module can be coupled to the running gear module in such a way that a mounting height, which is depending on the size of the operator, can be achieved.
 4. The maintenance shuttle according to claim 1, further comprising a locking pin/cotter pin combination for coupling points between the running gear module and the maintenance basket module.
 5. The maintenance shuttle according to claim 2, wherein one of the at least two rollers can be driven manually by means of a crankshaft drive mechanism.
 6. The maintenance shuttle according to patent claim 5, wherein the manual crankshaft drive mechanism can be replaced or assisted by a battery-operated electric screwdriver. 